Nightengale: Hollywood-like script flips managerial scene

Aug. 25, 2013
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In 14 seasons with the Angels, Mike Scioscia has six playoff appearances, including a World Series title in 2002, but his team hasnā??t made the postseason since 2009. He is signed through 2018 but could be fired. / Richard Mackson, USA TODAY Sports

by Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports

by Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports

The two baseball clubs in Los Angeles are going in wildly different directions, but they share one curious trait these days.

They refuse to talk about the futures of their managers.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly is poised to receive a contract extension after their historical turnaround this summer, but it might not provide him with the security he desires.

Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia might be getting fired this winter, but security is no issue, with a guaranteed payday longer than any manager in baseball.

Only in Hollywood.

The Dodgers, who were close to firing Mattingly in June, certainly appear ready to keep him.

Dodgers President Stan Kasten, who denies that Mattingly was within days of being fired in June, declined to engage in any contract talks, let alone whether Mattingly has earned the right to a lengthy deal.

And Angels owner Arte Moreno, who resisted any temptation to fire Scioscia in June, certainly isn't talking about his plans, which would end Scioscia's 14-year tenure.

"The funny thing about the game of baseball is that when a team loses, it's the manager's fault," Dodgers Hall of Fame manager Tom Lasorda told USA TODAY Sports, "but when a team wins, everyone praises the players and not the manager.

"I'll tell you this, Don Mattingly can sleep a lot better now. That poor guy was going through a lot."

The Dodgers, dead and buried June 22, had the fourth-worst record in baseball, with the largest payroll in National League history.

The question wasn't whether Mattingly would be fired; it was who his replacement would be.

"Stan was really honest," Mattingly told news reporters last week. "I don't think he wanted to do anything, but he said, 'Donnie, at some point I have to do something.' I understand. You can't just let your team go. I get it. At some point, you need a different voice."

Entering Sunday's game against the Boston Red Sox, the Dodgers - 30-42 and 91/2 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West on June 22 - were on a 46-11 roll. They are the third team since 1901 to be 12 games under .500 and 22 games over .500 in the same season.

And no team has been 12 games under .500 after 72 games, according to Elias Sports Bureau, and finished more than 14 games above .500.

"Look at the talent on that field," Lasorda said. "They weren't jelling at all. Now, they're playing like they're supposed to play."

This historical surge, the Dodgers now believe, provides hard-core evidence that destroys any myth that players won't play hard for a manager in his final year of a contract.

"I managed on a one-year deal for about 10 to 12 years," Lasorda said. "You can't worry about that. The players never played for my contract. They played for the Dodgers.

"The players aren't going to play any different, no matter how long your contract."

On the other side in Anaheim, no manager has more job security in baseball than Scioscia.

Scioscia, who has managed the Angels since 2000, is signed through 2018 at about $5 million a year.

Yet after four consecutive seasons with franchise-record-setting payrolls and not a single postseason berth while on pace for their worst season since 1999, Moreno might have no choice but to fire Scioscia.

Moreno told USA TODAY Sports in late June that it was unfair to judge Scioscia on their dismal start, but now that the start has been prolonged for the season, it's inevitable that someone has to pay the price.

The cruel irony is that if Scioscia had been fired in June, he might have ended up managing the Dodgers.